The intent of this blog is to inform, educate, and entertain those who enjoy the brews of the greatest beer country, Belgium. I will also talk about Belgian-inspired brews and breweries, beer bars, beer events, and beer stores in the U.S.A. and elsewhere.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Westvleteren: the old brewery at De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren

Photo, above: Brother Joris, the manager of Brouwerij Westvleteren,and yours truly at the old mash tun.

I had the pleasure of a second visit to the old brewery atWestvleteren, at De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren, onDecember 9.

Michael Jackson, in his "Great Beers of Belgium" states that he wastold by Brother Daniel, who gave him a tour in what must have beenthe mid-late 1980's, that this brewhouse was built in 1900, replacingan earlier one.

Photo, above: the outside of the old brewery at Westvleteren

However, the passage into the inner courtyard, where the brewerybuilding is located, is dated 1914. See the photo, below. Whateverthe case, the old mash tun is clearly the type used in Belgium duringthat period of time. It was used until 1989, when the new brewhousewas erected.

Clearly, brewing here was a time-consuming, labor-intensive process.It was also a challenging place to work, with tight spaces and nearlyvertical stairs to the brewkettle and mash tun area on the top floor.

Photo, above: the steps to the top floor are nearly vertical.I'm guessing no"quality control" tasting was done until afterthe day's work was done!

Photo, above: The tops of the brewing kettles, on the left. The mashtun is on the right.

It looks like bags of grain and hops were hoisted up to the top floor,through this entrance shown in the photo below.

On the bottom floor of the old brewhouse, you can see the bottomsof the old brewing kettles, shown in this photo.

Stacks of old Westvleteren crates are stacked in the corner in the below photo.

You can see the open fermenter on the left in the two photos below, and the stairs leading up to the top floor.

Photo, below: a close up shot of the bottoms of the brewing kettles.

Photo, below: old bottles in the old brewhouse. As you can see, someold bottles from had labels. Colorful ones!

Photo, below: part of the inner courtyard of the old brewing complex at De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren.

A view of the top of the Abbey buildings at Westvleteren, from the Inner Courtyard.

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About Me

I specialize in exploring, enjoying, researching, and writing about Belgium's unique beers and beer culture, as well as Belgian-inspired beers, breweries and beer bars. Since 1994, I have visited Belgium 25 times, and toured 141 breweries. I have also visited all the Trappist Abbey breweries multiple times, with four visits each at Westmalle and Westvleteren, three visits each at Achel, La Trappe (Koningshoeven), Orval and Rochefort, and two visits at Chimay.
I have written for such publications as Ale Street News, All About Beer, Beer Connoisseur, Beers of the World, Beer & Brewer Australia & New Zealand, Beeradvocate, Beer Northwest, BUZE Magazine, CAMRA What's Brewing, Celebrator Beer News, Delta Sky, Draft Magazine, The Gotham Imbiber, Great Lakes Brewing News, and Taps: Canada's Beer magazine. I have also written for the Beer Connoisseur, Beeradvocate and Ratebeer websites. I am a reporter for and contributed to "The Good Beer Guide to Belgium" and "Lambicland" by Tim Webb.
I am one of the 43 co-authors of "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die."